History Literature / ThereWillComeSoftRains

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: It's already came and went by the time of the story. The world still exists and lives on, just without people.

-->''"[[BookEnds Today is August 5, 2026.]] [[BrokenRecord Today is August 5, 2026.]] Today is--"''

There is a 1984 Soviet animated adaptation directed by Nazim Tulyakhodzayev that can be found [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38uy2_there-will-fall-soft-rains_shortfilms here]].

** On top of that, the robotic house itself. Aside from micromanaging the daily routine of the inhabitants to a ridiculous degree, everything is made of cold stainless steel, the beds and chairs look cramped and uncomfortable, and the robotic servant looks and sounds very creepy. Seeing the robot attack the bird without any regard for the safety of the humans around or their belongings also shows this house would be an accident waiting to happen even before the war.

The name comes from the 1920 Sara Teasdale poem about nature reclaiming the former battlefields of Europe in the years following UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne (but also about how little nature would notice if humans suddenly disappeared) a poem which is recited by the house itself midway through the story. In particular, the poem was chosen to exemplify the fact that life (and in this case, some technology) goes on, even if humans were to suddenly vanish.

%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt

* NoBodyLeftBehind: Indeed, no bodies, only silhouettes of their forms against the side of the house as they were vaporized by a nuclear blast.

* NoBodyLeftBehind: Indeed, no bodies, only silhouettes of their forms against the side of the house as they were vaporized by atomic radiation.

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: Well, perhaps not that differently. In the book, the family was outside the house when the bomb hit and were vaporized, leaving white silhouettes on the side of the house. In the animated adaptation, enough of them is left to be recognizable as [[NightmareFuel human-shaped piles of ash.]]

* VagueAge: The children's room is described as a nursery, yet they're old enough to have to go to school.

* ClockworkCreature: The robot mice, rats, and crickets.

** Though the Soviet film only gave hints, it would appear as though [[JustBeforeTheEnd pre-apocalyptic America]] wasn't doing very well either. The fact that hazmat suits adorn the bedrooms, the family's work clothes also resemble radiation suits, and the fact that the window to the grandmother's room is blocked by a "Video window" showing a pristine landscape, would all indicate that the environment outside might have already been wrecked when the bomb fell.

* EyeScream: In the animated adaptation, the robot's eyes (or, sensors) are destroyed during an attempt to scare away a bird... TheReveal shows the 'sockets' ''bleeding fluid''. Gah.

* SmartHouse: Though whether or not it has some measure of sentience is still debated.

----

* AfterTheEnd

* AtomicHate

* ComputerVoice

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt

* HumanitysWake

** WeirdAlEffect: As of now most people would only know the poem from the Bradbury story.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Soviet version gives the family the surname of [=McClellan=].

* FailsafeFailure

* ShootTheDog: The family dog, which survived The End, comes back to the house. It tries one final time to locate his family, and when it fails, curls up and promptly dies of starvation and (presumably) radiation poisoning. The cleaning robots carry it off and incinerate the body without a word.

The name comes from the 1920 Sara Teasdale poem about how little the human race would be missed if it destroyed itself, a poem which is recited by the house itself midway through the story. In particular, the poem was chosen to exemplify the fact that life (and in this case, some technology) goes on, even if humans were to suddenly vanish.

"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a post apocalyptic ScienceFiction short story written in 1950 by Creator/RayBradbury. It tells about the continued goings-on of an automated house, abandoned but still running on its programming. The house goes about its programmed tasks, such as making breakfast and cleaning. As the story goes it becomes clear that a nuclear war destroyed all of the humans. The house runs continuously until it succumbs to decay; no one will ever live in it again.

The name comes from the 1920 Sara Teasdale poem about how little the human race will be missed, though the name was specifically chosen to show that the poem was too optimistic: instead of the animals and plants getting on with things after we've gone, the humans have wiped out nearly everything.

* RagnarokProofing: Although it survived the blast, the house runs out of water trying to put out a fire in itself because it has been using up all its reserves uselessly washing dishes since the attack.
* ShootTheDog: The family dog, which survived The End, comes back to the house. It tries one final time to locate his family, and when it fails, curls up and promptly dies of starvation and (presumably) radiation poisoning. The rodent Roombas carry it off and incinerate the body without a word.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Though the Soviet film only gave hints, it would appear as though [[JustBeforeTheEnd pre-apocalyptic America]] wasn't doing very well either. The fact that hazmat suits adorn the bedrooms, the family's work clothes also resemble radiation suits, and the fact that the window to the grandmother's room is blocked by a "Video window" showing a pristine landscape, would all indicate that the environment outside might have already been wrecked when the bomb fell.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Though the soviet film only gave hints, it would appear as though [[JustBeforeTheEnd pre-apocalyptic America]] wasn't doing very well either. The fact that hazmat suits adorn the bedrooms, the family's work clothes also resemble radiation suits, and the fact that the window to the grandmother's room is blocked by a "Video window" showing a pristine landscape, would all indicate that the environment outside might have already been wrecked when the bomb fell.
* DownerEnding: Arguably the DownerEnding already happened, but it is possible to develop a little empathy for the still running house, making the end of the story a second DownerEnding.

** WeirdAlEffect As now most people would only know the poem from the Bradbury story.

* RagnarokProofing: It runs out of water trying to put out a fire in itself, since there isn't any water service anymore, and its backup systems don't prove effective enough.

-->"Today is August 4, 2026."